Chhattisgarh's Khaira village: rooftop solar on all 141 homes – a 100% solar village under PM Surya Ghar; power bills fall to zero

3 November 2026 · English Infrastructure & Energy

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Topics: Energy · 3 November 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

In Khaira village of Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh, all 141 homes now have 2-kW rooftop solar systems (≈ 282 kW in all). Media (The New Indian Express, 1 Nov; Daily Thanthi, 3 Nov 2026) reported it as 'India's first 100% solar village' under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, with every house solar-powered. Central and State subsidies covered most of the cost and the district administration met the rest from corporate CSR funds – villagers paid nothing. With net metering, surplus power flows into the grid, so bills have dropped to zero. Population ≈ 889; 93 of the houses were built under PMAY-G.

Key facts

Place	Khaira village, Rajnandgaon district, Chhattisgarh
Scale	141 homes × 2 kW ≈ 282 kW; population ≈ 889
Funding	Central + State subsidy; balance via CSR (district administration) – no cost to residents
Drive	Collector Jitendra Yadav; 'Surya Sakhi' women; Padma Shri Phoolbasan Bai Yadav
Scheme	PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (Feb 2024; ₹75,021 crore; 1 crore homes; up to 300 units/month) – MNRE
'First' note	Modhera (Gujarat) was declared 'India's first 24×7 solar-powered village' on 9 Oct 2022; Khaira's claim is narrower – 100% rooftop-solar village under PM Surya Ghar

Background

• Scheme: the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana was announced on 13 Feb 2024 (₹75,021 crore). Central subsidy – ₹30,000 per kW for the first 2 kW and ₹18,000 for the 3rd kW, capped at ₹78,000. Chhattisgarh adds a State subsidy on top.
• Model Solar Village: a component of PM Surya Ghar – ₹800 crore; one village per district; a revenue village with population above 5,000 (2,000 in special-category States); the village installing the most renewable capacity in a 6-month contest gets ₹1 crore (guidelines Aug 2024).
• Modhera: Mehsana district, Gujarat, on the Pushpavati river. A 6-MW ground-mounted solar plant at Sujjanpura, battery storage and rooftop solar on over 1,000 homes. Its Sun Temple was built in the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty (c. 1026–27 CE).
• Science / economy: net metering – a bi-directional meter records power exported to and imported from the grid, and only the net difference is billed. Photovoltaic cells turn sunlight directly into DC power; an inverter converts it to AC.

Tamil Nadu link: Tamil Nadu's best-known shrine of Sun worship is Suryanar Kovil near Aduthurai, Thanjavur district – one of the Navagraha temples, built in the reign of Kulottunga Chola I (11th century); it compares with Gujarat's Modhera Sun Temple.

Source: Daily Thanthi, 3 Nov 2026; Dinamalar, Nov 2026; The New Indian Express, 1 Nov 2026 (via The Cool Down/Yahoo News); Odisha Connect, 2 Nov 2026; News On AIR, 12 Aug 2024 (Model Solar Village); PMIndia, 9 Oct 2022 (Modhera); IGNCA (Modhera temple); PTI / ThePrint (Chhattisgarh subsidy)

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